Say What?!?!

Jacob has his first loose tooth. The other night before bed, I checked how wiggly it was and when I said it was getting looser, he looked worried:

Jacob: Mom? Can I go brush my teeth again?
Me: Didn't you already do that?
Jacob: Yeah but I want to do it again.
Me: Why?
Jacob: So my teeth don't all fall out.

We had to have a quick talk about that loose teeth are not a result of bad brushing. I don't think I've convinced him yet because each time I mention that its getting looser, he wants to brush his teeth again!

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Sarah and I were talking Saturday afternoon before Paul and I left for our concert. I told her that Grandma and Grandpa would be spending the night because we'd be home late - long past their bedtime. She said "Really late? You mean, like, 8:30?"

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I was trying to get Adam down for a nap Sunday afternoon and in his protest, he wanted Jacob and Sarah to have to take a nap, too. Jacob quickly responded with "Well, actually...I can't. I'm allergic to naps."

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Allergies seem to be the new excuse around here because later, when discussing the difference between Tootsie Pops and Blow Pops, Sarah explained "We're allergic to gum, right? Because we don't eat it. It's because we're allergic." Not quite, but sure - we'll go with it!

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I was reading a book the Sarah the other day and in it there was a joke:
Me: Where doe Cows go for their first date?
Sarah: ummm...a hotel?
Daddy: No, Sarah! They said FIRST date!
(Sheesh Daddy! Inappropriate! Thankfully she didn't wonder why daddy's comment was so funny...)

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Adam: Mommy. I love you.

Me: Awww...I love you, too! You're so cute!
Adam: Noooooo! I not cute, I'm a BROTHER!

Me: Yes, you're a brother, but you're cute, too!

Adam: No, I not cute - I'm just a boy!

Fired Up

A few weeks ago, we met up with some of our fellow Twin friends and had a painting play date at a local Paint your own Pottery place. I'd been wanting to check the place out for a while but hadn't had a chance to so I was glad we were able to make it and the kids had a lot of fun! It was the weekend of my Mom's birthday, so I suggested to the kids that they each get to paint a present for Grandma. They loved the idea and we let each of them make their own thing.

Sarah chose a cute little vase with flowers and hearts on it. She was very careful to paint each detail! Jacob wanted to make her a mug and painted it all himself other than asking for help to draw a heart on it. Adam chose a small heart shaped dish which he did his best to paint on his own as much as he could. He did quite a bit of it and made it his own! They all did a really good job of being careful, not getting messy and taking their time to make something special for Grandma.

We had to wait a few days for the finished products but we picked them up in time to see Grandma again this weekend. Sarah was SO excited to give her present to her - my mom barely had her coat off when Sarah was handing her the 'surprise.'

I think we'll be returning there again sometime - maybe for a birthday present for their other Grandma this spring. I'd also love a vase or plate with all their handprints on it!

Makes My Monday

I can't pick just one thing so here's some of the things that make me happy today:

* Snow Day on Friday! Our first one of the school year (sad that's its almost March and it was our first and possibly only snow day this year...)

* Lady Antebellum Concert - on the floor right next to the stage! Awesome concert!

* Dinner at the Union Woodshop in Clarkston - a very cool place, highly recommended by Kid Rock. Atmosphere was great and the food was AMAZING!

* My parents watching the kids for us so we could go to the concert! Thanks again Mom and Dad!

* 80s Murder Mystery next weekend! I've got my outfit all set - so excited!

* Running again and working towards my next distance - a 4 mile run on St. Patrick's Day. Still plan to do the 10 mile in August!!

* My BFF is now 19 weeks along in her pregnancy and doing well! We're starting to talk baby showers!! yeah!

* Only 2 more weeks until Great Wolf Lodge!!

SO happy for a great weekend and lots of great things ahead!!

Linking up to Makes My Monday at Twinfatuation!

February Photo-A-Day: Things I love, Part 3

Catching up with Rebecca again for the February Show Me Your Love Daily Photo Challenge.


Day 18 - Piece of Jewelry - My Engagement/wedding ring and my Necklace

Day 19 - Cleaning Product
Its the only commercial dish soap I've used that doesn't leave my sponge/dish rag stinking!

Day 20 - Friend I Love - my BFF Lisa

Day 21 - Item I'd love to get rid of - Not the room but a lot of what's in it...
...such as the Wii (we never use it), the 2nd tv (again, rarely used), the giant train table (the boys just set up their trains on the floor anyways...) and ultimately the mess!

Day 22 - Electronic device I love - iPad and Droid phone 

Day 23 - Room in my House I love - Family Room
Its where we relax and I love the colors!

Day 24 - Color I Love - Blue

Return of the Dinosaurs!

One of our local museums rotates out their big displays a few times a year for traveling exhibits. We caught the Robots exhibit at the end of January and the next week, they opened up a very popular Dinosaur exhibit! The kids were so excited to check it out so we made some time last weekend to explore the new attraction!

The first part of the exhibit was hands on stuff - digging for fossils, making dinosaur rubbings, moving a robot dinosaur and playing a video game Dinosaur Simulator. All 3 kids really enjoyed that, especially digging/brushing for the fossils and the video game. After a while, we ventured on to the big Dinosaurs...and the kids were pretty taken aback by how BIG they were. They certainly aren't true to scale, but they are still very big, are animatronic and roar!

Jacob and Sarah recognized a few dinosaurs and although not thrilled, were able to somewhat enjoy the exhibit and see the dinosaurs. Adam, on the other hand, had a death grip around my neck, refused to walk or look and had his head buried in my shoulder. He was especially terrified of the T-Rex and the meat eating dinosaurs that were feasting off another less-fortunate dinosaur. He kept talking about and asking "why were the baby dinosaurs (they were smaller) eating the Daddy dinosaur?" Poor kid...hope he's not traumatized! Jacob and Sarah said they had fun but didn't think they'd want to go back again.

Fossils and Robots

Lots of different dinosaurs!

 

Hands on fun!

Say What?!?!

Paul was getting Adam ready for bed the other night and noticed some boogers in his nose. He couldn't get them with a tissue and he keeps his nails cut short so he grabbed a q-tip to try to swab Adam's nostril and get it clean. Adam pushed him away and said "NO! Dad for my EARS! FINGERS are for da nose!"

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I bought a new dress this week - something different and kinda funky. I tried it on to show Paul then went to show Sarah. I walked into the room and she looked at it and said "Are those your Pajamas?" (ummm...NOT quite thinking that was a compliment...)

Thankfully Jacob saved the day and told me I looked like a Princess, dressed for the ball! awwww!

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We took the kids to see the Dinosaurs this weekend. Adam was excited about it until we actually got there and he saw how big and noisy they were. One display was a bit graphic and showed some Meat Eating Dinosaurs doing their thing. I had to take Adam to the restroom a short while later and he told "Why the baby dinosaurs eating da Daddy dinosaur? I don't wike that."

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We have a trip planned to Great Wolf Lodge soon and we told the kids about it last week. Sarah asked if we'd be staying the night and I told her yes, 2 nights. When she asked when, I told her the dates and said it was a Saturday, Sunday and a Monday. She immediately cried out "But MOM! We have SCHOOL on Monday!!"

*Bad parent/teacher note - that thought never crossed my mind...I was just thinking about work for Paul and I. oops!*

I reassured her it would be ok to miss 1 day since they are usually in school and that seemed to somewhat reassure her. The next day, when I picked them up from daycare, Sarah immediately had something to tell me. "Mom! Mrs. H said Monday is Presidents Day and we don't have school...so we can STILL go to Great Wolf Lodge!" (that girl's always thinking!) She was quite disappointed when I told her it wasn't THIS (past) weekend we were going but we looked at the calendar and are anxiously awaiting the day we can go!

Tagged

Debi, a long time blogging buddy, from Who Says 8 is Enough? tagged me in a meme the other day. I haven't done one in years and I thought I'd play along!

 
Her questions:

1. Word association. I say “tender”, you say Love me (as in Love Me Tender....Elvis).

2. What is the most important virtue you possess?
Trustworthy? Dependable? Responsible? 

3. Favorite song and why?
This is a tough question because there are so many songs I love for different reasons. One of my all time favorite songs is Take On Me by Aha. Why? I don't really have a meaningful answer to that other than I love the song and the video for it.

4. If you had to choose someone from the Bible that most closely represents you, who would it be?
I honestly have no idea...despite being raised Catholic, I don't feel like I know the Bible well.

5. A quote or inspirational verse that you turn to when times are tough.
I'm not sure this is the best but its the only one I can think of off the top of my head: Shoot for the moon because even if you miss, you'll land amongst the stars.

 6. What is your favorite recipe?
Chicken and Rice. Its nothing fancy but its one that my Mom always made and I loved as a kid. Its one I can make now without even having to look at the recipe (which I'm usually a "stick to the recipe" kinda-gal) AND my kids eat it!

7. Most dramatic childhood memory.
One of my most vivid childhood memories is of the day when I met my BFF. I was about 3 years old and just met her that day at a house across the street. Her big brother was supposed to take me home at dinner time but instead my friend hid me under the bed in the back bedroom. I fell asleep and when I didn't come home, everyone thought I was lost. I woke up to hear frantic cries from friends and family looking for me. My brother finally found me peeking out from under the bed and 30+ years, Lisa and I are still the best of friends!


8. If you were a tree, what kind of tree would you be?
A redwood because I'm so tall! ha!

 9. If you could change one thing about how you look, what would it be?
My nose. I've learned to accept my height and appreciate it. I know I can make changes if I'm not happy with my weight. I like my eyes and my hair...but my nose. Sheesh!

 10. Coffee? Iced, frozen, hot or not?
I like coffee both ways but most importantly, it has to be full of flavor and sweetener. I can't take black coffee. I drink it less sweeter than I used to but I still can't stomach plain black coffee. Considering I never even drank coffee until I was a Mom, its a big change!

11. A moment in time that changed your life?
Honestly? I already wrote about it above...the day I met my BFF. Her and I have been through so much together - a lifelong friendship that also helped lead me to my husband and future family. I would absolutely not be who I am today if it were not for Lisa.

Sharing the Love!

Its usually pretty hard for me to balance being a Mom and a Teacher at the same time. It seems whenever something special is going on in my own children's class, its likely my classroom has something beyond the norm going on too, making it harder for me to step out and do something with my OWN kids.

I got really lucky on Valentine's Day because it fell on a Tuesday which is my easiest day of the week at work - we have Speech, Gym and Music all on the same day - not much NEED for ME to be in the midst of it all. So, with the go-ahead from my fantastic teaching partner and with my Student Teacher taking over, I was able to take a couple hours last week and go help with Jacob and Sarah's Valentine's Day party! It was a lot of fun for both the kids and I and I'm SO glad I could make it!

I helped at the Craft table while kids glued together heart picture frames. I got to see the kids that Jacob and Sarah talk about and see more of their classroom. They had a lot of fun - making a frame, playing with red play doh, handing out their valentines, decorating a cookie, estimating candy hearts and topping it all off with an ice cream sundae!  Talk about a sugar high! I was glad I got to drop them back off to daycare when I went back to work and that they had gymnastics later in the day to burn off all the excitement and sugar!

I do have to wonder though - when did Valentines day become as big of a candy day as Easter and Halloween! SO many of their cards came with candy and between the 3 kids, our candy jar was overflowing when they were done sorting through it all!! They, of course, loved it and have spent time before bed every night this week going through their bags of cards and notes, lingering over their favorites and trying to remember who gave them each one.

Making a picture frame

Play doh cupcakes

sorting valentines

estimating candy hearts

The only moment all morning I caught them both in the same spot!

I just have to share one fun picture from my classroom that afternoon. With our busy day, we didn't have a lot of time for much of a party but that's ok as our students don't usually get too excited about it all. One game that we've made a tradition at each holiday is a "Pin the tail on the donkey" of sorts. We have a Rudolph for Christmad and I have a heart and arrows for Valentines. Its fun to watch the kids wander around, blindfolded, trying to find the right spot. I'm also impressed with the kids who use their other senses to figure out where they need to be!

February Photo-A-Day: Things I love, Part 2

Checking in again with Rebecca's Show Me Your Love Photo Challenge!

Day 11: Flower I love - Tulips!

 Yes...I really took this photo back in 2008!

Day 12: Animal I love

They are not loved like they once were. Like back in the day when they were little. And cute. And we didn't have kids (besides them). But they are good dogs and this house would be a different place without them.

 Shadow - 2001

Nola - 2003

She was THE cutest puppy!

Day 13: Purse I love

I have a really hard time finding purses I like. This is one of my faves by look but not so much by size. Loved the design but now as a Mom, I need a purse I can throw over my shoulder. This one is 'retired' and I'm in search of a new purse.

Day 14: Place I love - Traverse City, MI

Hands down - our state gem, Traverse City. Its beautiful in every season. Its on the water. The Dunes were recently voted one of the Most Beautiful Places in America. Its Wine Country. Need I say more? We have 2 trips slated back there this year!

Day 15: Shoes I love - My Black Boots!

Day 16: Cosmetic I love

I keep my makeup real simple - neutrals and pretty much the same thing every day. I don't leave the house without a base powder and eye make up - but those are honestly my only essentials!

Day 17: Drink I love - Wine!

Honestly, I'm not picky. I've not met many wines I didn't like. You could call it a Hobby of ours. Many vacations have been planned around a Wine region. Call us sophisticated. Call us lushes. Whatever. I love Wine. I'm not a snob about it. I'll pick a wine based on a fun label or name. Whites. Reds. Blush. Sweet. Dry. Yes, please! I'll try a glass!

My favorite wine is a Reisling - one of Michigan's best. One of our favorite Michigan wineries is Black Star Farms. Did you know that Michigan's wine region in Traverse City sits on the same parallel as many big wineries and vineyards in Germany?

13 Things Thursday

1. My student teacher is doing a good job and has 3 more weeks left in my classroom...but the realization struck me yesterday that I'm ready to have my classroom and kids back!

2. My BFF's pregnancy is going well - she's 17+ weeks now! I'm so happy for her!!

3. On another baby note, my college roommate delivered her baby in January, almost 3 months early. Amazingly, he has had very few complications and is progressing like a champ! Go CJ!!!

4. I have had a bad head cold this week - all stuffy and runny nose. How is it that your nose can be stuffy AND runny at the same time?

5. I have a 'date' Sunday evening with another college friend - I can't wait! We're going out to dinner and I haven't seen her since the early fall.

6. We have a 3 day weekend thanks to Presidents Day this weekend! Yeah!!

7. I seriously need to put together my 80s costume for our Murder Mystery Dinner in a few weeks. Any suggestions what I should wear to look Totally 80s??

8. The kids got just as much candy as they did Valentine Cards this week - when did Valentines turn into Halloween? We have a candy jar FULL of treats again!

9. The kids have had Spirit Week at daycare this week. Monday was Western Day and I had to run to the store with Jacob and Sarah after I picked them up. They asked to wear their cowboy hats into the store and I said it was ok. Oh boy did they get a lot of comments! (I have to admit, they did look super cute - I even wished they had actual Cowboy boots instead of their winter boots at the time! ha!).

10. I have one last IEP this morning and then they'll all be DONE! Yeah! I have been very fortunate this year to have a good group of students AND parents and they've all gone really well.

11. I really want to finish my book this weekend for my book club, but whenever I try to read when I head to bed, I fall asleep too quick before getting much reading done. Its been really interesting and different. I'm supposed to lead the discussion on this one and I have lots of ideas of questions brewing in my head!


12. One of my new favorite authors died in a car accident this weekend. Jeffery Zaslow wrote The Girls from Ames and the new book, The Magic Room. He was on his way home from a book signing here in MI and his car slid on the icy roads and went head on into a semi. So sad. I plan to read The Magic Room next.

13. A good friend of mine at work likes to read as much as I do and we swap a lot of books. I love her random mid-day phone calls to chat quick about a book! She just finished Hunger Games and we plan to make a date of it to see the movie!

Past Loves

I haven't had time yet to upload Valentine's Day pictures but the kids had loads of fun yesterday! Instead I thought I'd take a trip down Memory Lane and check out some of our past Pink and Red filled days!

Valentine's Day 2007

2.5 months old

Sara's first Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day 2008

1 year old

Heartbreaker, for sure! Look at those eyes!!

2009 Age 2

Adam's first Valentine's Day

2009

1 month old

Hope your Valentines, present and past, were filled with lots of love and fun!

Linking up with Twinfatuation for Way Back When-esday!

I Just Love 'em

I'll keep it simple today: I love these kids.

I love their smiles. I love their giggles. I love their eyes. I love them with all my being.

I love his blue eyes. I love his mischievous grin. I love his messy bed head. I love his blond hair. I love his first 2 loose teeth. I love his silliness.

I love her messy curls. I love her hugs. I love hearing her read. I love the way she loves her brothers. I love her desire to learn. I love how sweet she is.

I love his cheesy grin. I love the way his eyes crinkle when he smiles. I love how he keeps up with his siblings. I love his snuggles. I love finding out new things he's learned. I love how he loves his Mommy.

Yup - simple as that. I just Love them!!

Twinfatuation

February Photo-A-Day: Things I love

Rebecca at Unexplained X2 is hosting a Photo a Day challenge this month. I'm already behind but better late than never, huh?

Day 6: Shirt(s) I love

 My newest favorite shirt is the camel colored, long one. Its so comfy and I love the pocket in the front! I wear this almost every week with leggings or my skinny jeans! My favorite 'dressy' shirt is the black sweater with the cowl neck. I can wear the light blue thermal tee with jeans or gray pants. The yellow one is from several years ago and I plan to be back in it and looking even skinnier this summer!

PS..how do you like the new dark hair?? (Its been a while since you've seen a pic of ME, huh?)

Day 7: Food I love

I'm almost embarrassed to admit this but one of my ALL time favorite foods is Mac and Cheese. I don't even care if its homemade or from a box. I love it.

My new favorite (grown up) food  is Sushi! I had it twice this week!! (I was excited to find it at the newly remodeled grocery store this weekend and then Paul made some last night! LOVE!)

Day 8: Jeans I love

I'll say this - when you're 6'1" you don't get much variety of style on jeans..you just go with what is LONG enough! I hate to spend too much $$ on clothes but I can find good fitting jeans from Lee or New York and Company. Here's my favorite pair (I can't believe I followed Rebecca's picture and took a photo of my butt! She encouraged it!)

Day 9: A Day of the Year I love

That's easy - Christmas! Its even better now with the kiddos!

Day 10: Book(s) I love

If you know me, you know I love to read. I certainly couldn't just pick ONE book. Heck, I had trouble narrowing it down to just 3. I totally love the 20s and reading about that era. I never expected to love The Hunger Games as much as I did but I can't deny how fabulous I thought they were!

So that's it for this week...I'm going to try to tune in again next week, too!

Remembered

There are many dates we remember in our lives - birthdays, anniversaries, first dates, appointments, special occasions, deaths, etc. Those dates are often connected with memories - both vivid and vague - and those vivid memories are often deeply rooted with emotions.

February 9th is one of those days that will never be forgotten. My whole life, its always been remembered as my Mom's birthday but now we also have to face the memory of the anniversary of my brother's death. Its only been two years and the loss is still quite fresh amongst my family. While thoughts of him and his absence definitely weigh heavy on my heart and emotions, I know its nothing compared to what my parents and sister-in-law struggle with every day. I told my mom this week that I just wish there was something I could say or do to help ease the heartache. We all know that no matter what we say, do or pray, nothing can take the place or fill that void.

As today has neared and I've thought about Andy and talked about him more with others again, I've tried to balance the emotions and tried to remember as much as I could about him. I've seen my other brother, Michael, post some of his old memories on Andy's still present Facebook wall and I've tried to take a mental inventory of some of my favorite memories. So, while I try to push through the sadness that comes with today, I'm also going to share some of my favorite memories of my big brother.


* Hearing the story each year on my birthday of how I was born on the day of his First Communion and him teasing me that it was MY fault that Mom missed it.

* While I don't necessarily remember these moments when I was 1 or 2, I remember photos of me standing in the door of my parents' old house, watching my brothers play in the driveway.

* Easter photos under the tree in our front yard

* Going swimming up at the neighborhood pool

* Going sledding at the Golf Course hill

* Walking around Sharp Park & "fishing" with sticks in the pond

* Going to the circus with him

* Family vacation to Six Flags and him pushing me down and getting covered in grease.

* Watching him hobble home after another broken ankle or nose.

* Seeing him get on the bus when he left for the Navy

* Going to his Boot Camp Graduation

* Flying out to San Diego when I was in 6th grade to visit him.

* Getting to go on an aircraft carrier with him for a day and getting to drive by the Top Gun hangar.

* Countless letters and photos sent to him while he was overseas along with making cassette tapes for him to listen to of music and us talking.

* Driving all the way to CA when I was in 9th grade. Going to a Rodeo and watching him rope cows.

* Having my first drink with him.

* Late night IMs with him when I was in college.

* Spring Break in CA with him and Jeanne, $1 night at the bar, stealing the banner off the deck, staying up all night talking and I'm still wondering who flooded the bathroom!

* Walking into my parents' house one Christmas morning to see him there by surprise!

 * Hearing the letter he wrote to me for my wedding (he couldn't be there as he was overseas). I haven't been able to make myself pull that back out and read it...

* Dancing at my sister's wedding with him.

* Telling him he was going to be an uncle on the same day he became a Grandpa!

* The first time he met Jacob and Sarah.

* The last time I saw him and he put his Navy hat on Sarah just before we left.

* Hearing so many people talk about him with such respect and admiration.

Please continue to look down upon us all Andy. Know that we all love and miss you and think of you all the time. Someone asked me the other day if my kids remember you and I said its not likely that they have their own memories of you, but I am trying to help them know you in their own way. I can only hope my boys grow up to be as accomplished and respected as you are!

I love you. I miss you. I am proud to be your sister.